Airbus embarks on major environmental initiative with Qatar national entities

Marking another step on its alternative fuels roadmap, Airbus will collaborate with Qatar Airways, Qatar Science & Technology Park and Qatar Petroleum in the development of second generation bio-fuels for aviation.

Under the Qatar Advanced Bio-fuel Platform (QABP), the partners will work to devise a detailed implementation plan for production of these alternative fuels, as well as an investment strategy and an advanced technology development programme. Ongoing market and strategic analysis also will be performed as part of the initiative.

The QABP takes a portfolio approach to advanced bio-fuel development - across supply sources, technologies and geographies - and can be expanded to include additional projects, technologies, investments and partnershipsglobally.

This environmental initiative with Qatar marks another important step on Airbus' alternative fuels roadmap, which aims to reach carbon neutral growth in the aviation sector by 2020. Airbus is proactively participating in the effort to obtain approval for alternative and bio-fuels in commercial aviation, and believes that by 2030, some 30 per cent of jet fuel could be bio-fuel.

Initially, Qatar Airways - which has more than 150 Airbus aircraft in service or on order - will be the dedicated end-user of the QABP's bio-fuel projects. Specific supply sources have been identified which will be developed and processed to provide the carrier access to second-generation Biomass-to-Liquid (BTL) jet fuel.

With one of the A340-600s currently in its fleet, Qatar Airways successfully conducted the world's first commercial flight powered by a cleaner Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) fuel blend in October 2009. This event marked a milestone for the development of alternative fuels and signalled further progress towards reducing aviation's environmental footprint.